1970] 
Checkering — Erigone 
1 33 
Description. Total length 1.06 mm. Carapace 0.6 mm long; 0.45 
mm wide opposite second coxae where it is widest; about 0.22 mm 
tall at beginning of very gradually declining posterior declivity op- 
posite interval between first and second coxae; broadly rounded in 
front (Fig. 1); with a fairly well defined median thoracic groove; 
without teeth along ventral margin. Eyes: eight as usual in the 
genus; viewed from above, both rows moderately recurved; viewed 
from in front, both rows moderately procurved. Ratio of eyes AME : 
ALE : PME : PLE = nearly 5:718:8. AME separated from 
one another and from ALE by a little less than their diameter. PME 
separated from one another by nearly their diameter and from PLE 
by about their radius. Laterals separated only by a line. Central 
ocular quadrangle wider behind than in front in ratio of about 
11 : 7 ; wider behind than long in ratio of about 1 1 : 9. Height 
of clypeus equal to a little more than four times the diameter of 
AME. Chelicerae: with three or four teeth in basal half of anterior 
surface (right and left sides differ somewhat) ; with three low and 
minute cusps along medial margin ; fang groove well supplied with 
teeth but exact number not determined because of fragility of holo- 
type and lack of paratypes. Maxillae: robust; moderately conver- 
gent; without special modifications except that there appear to be 
a few obscure cusps. Lip : short ; less than half as long as maxillae ; 
deeply excavated in basal half. Sternum : scutiform ; widest in an- 
terior quarter; quite convex; obtusely truncated and extended be- 
tween fourth coxae which are separated by a little less than half 
their width. Legs: 1423 in order of length; slender spines as usual 
in the genus. Palp: obscurely distinctive; the trochanter has a mod- 
erately well developed ventro-lateral projection; the femur has a 
series of four or five small ventral cusps each with a bristle; the 
patellar apophysis is much reduced ; the tibia appears to be quite 
distinctive but its parts are so intimately related to corresponding 
parts of the tarsus that representation in a drawing is difficult; essen- 
tial parts of the tarsus represented in Figures 2-3. Abdomen: con- 
siderably smaller than cephalothorax and without special modifica- 
tions ; essentially typical of males of the genus. Color in alcohol : 
Carapace dark brown with gray streaks radiating from the middle 
line of the thoracic region ; with a moderate amount of black pig- 
ment in ocular region ; sternum dusky brown ; legs and mouth parts 
yellowish with dusky streaks; abdomen a dark, dusky brown, nearly 
black. 
Diagnosis. This species with its reduced palpal patellar apophysis 
